


I hate that I love you

by ellebell6



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adolescent Sexuality, Adultery, Age Difference, Coming of Age, Cross-Generation Relationship, F/M, Incest, Older Man/Younger Woman, Slow Build, Uncle/Niece Incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-05-02 17:24:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14549634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellebell6/pseuds/ellebell6
Summary: Rose has a secret hate for Uncle Charlie





	1. Hate

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Giddiness, Followed by Levitation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1043636) by [tamlane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tamlane/pseuds/tamlane). 



> Apologies for any mistakes, only my second foray into a little writing. Not sure what will become of this. Adoption or collaboration may be an option.

_I hate you._

The thought throbs in Rose’s head as she watches her Care of Magical Creatures Professor stride in front of the paddock of hippogriffs delivering his lecture.

_I hate you_.

She thinks as her gaze falls to his calloused hands - the same hands that grasped her mum’s hips two weeks ago when she saw them in Grimmauld library.

_I hate you._

Burns a path down her throat when he lifts her astride the creature and sends them soaring with a pat and a wink.

It’s _hate_ that makes Rose shiver when he lifts her down and strokes the back of her head.

And it’s _hate_ that makes a tear slip down her cheek when she remembers the way he buried his nose in the hair at the base of her mum’s neck.

Later, she swears it’s _hate_ that makes her gasp his name when she’s alone in her dormitory, with her fingers down her knickers, the memory of his grunts as he thrusts into her mum replaying in her head. 

_I hate you Uncle Charlie._


	2. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, all mistakes are my own.

Six weeks into the new term and the lance of betrayal still pierced through Rose whenever she was around him. She found it surprisingly easy to hate Uncle Charlie rather than her Mum.

The morning after she saw them, her mum had looked pale, drawn - _guilty_. They were headed to the Burrow for Granny Molly’s famous Sunday breakfast, but Mum said she wasn’t feeling well and stayed behind.

Rose wasn’t looking her best either, she’d lay awake through the night trying to stifle her pain filled sobs. Mum had suggested they stay home together - girl time - and Rose had wanted nothing more than to rest her head in her Mum’s lap, weep into her belly and hear her say that she loved her Dad and everything would be alright.

When they arrived, Uncle Charlie and Bill were already in the midst of a lively quidditch discussion, Dad immediately joined in. Throughout breakfast, Rose watched him laugh and eat and talk, he even asked where Mum was, with barely a tic when Dad said she was home unwell.

Now she avoids him, hardly daring to look his way in class or the great hall. She thinks he doesn’t notice, until he corners her one Saturday in the entrance hall after breakfast - “Rose, I feel like I’ve barely seen you since term started, Al and Hugo are coming to the hut later to help with the fire crabs - you should come.” Rose can't look at him so focuses over his left shoulder when she replies - “Can’t, got stuff to do.” - before she hurries off to Gryffindor tower.

Later, she supposes, he would find it odd that she’s barely around. Before, when he would pop over from Romania, she would seek him out every chance she got, asking him about Europe and the dragons, playing quidditch at the burrow, finding any excuse she could to be around him.

As far back as she can remember, she’d been intrigued by him. She had no memory of him before age 4 except from pictures around the burrow but she realised then that Charlie the dragon keeper, her mysterious talented Uncle, was as fantastical as the heroes and heroines her Dad read to her about at bedtime. Her fascination only morphed as she got older, developing to an affection and longing that sometimes frightened her with its depth.

Halfway to the tower, Rose wants to turn around, go back to the entrance hall and grab him - make him explain.

Why did you do it?  
Why my mum?  
How could you do that to your brother?  
_How could you do it to me?_


	3. Confrontation

By Halloween, Rose had successfully avoided Uncle Charlie for two months. He tried to talk to her after his lesson one Thursday but she had the ready excuse of her next class to get to and rushed off - the hurt look on his face followed her but she quashed the faint stirrings of sympathy in her gut as soon as they started.

The others had begun to notice she was being off with him, even James who'd cornered her during quidditch practise one day and told her to - "Put the poor sod out of his misery, eh?". Rose thought about what James said for the rest of the day. Why should it concern Uncle Charlie that she wasn't around? Not much seemed to - even sleeping with his brother's wife. She took a imperceptible glance at the head table during dinner that night, he looked his usual affable self, talking with Professor Longbottom. Had he said something to James?

  
The great hall was gloriously decorated as usual for the Halloween Feast, there were flocks of enchanted bats drifting over the tables, floating jack-o-lanterns instead of candles and beautiful Autumn foliage covering the walls. Rose was laughing and having fun for the first time in weeks with Al and Scorpius, she didn't even notice his approach until his hand dropped on her shoulder, "Rose, I need to have a word." She tried to think of an excuse but he'd flicked his head toward the doors and strode off, leaving her no choice but to follow.

He led her to a small receiving room, she'd never noticed before, just off the entrance hall and closed the heavy door behind her. "What's going on Rose?" She hadn't expected the almost plaintive tone to Uncle Charlie's question and that more than anything made her turn and look at him in confusion.

"I don't know what you mean Professor but I've got to get back, prefects have to escort the first years to-"

She saw his jaw clench at "professor", before she could finish her excuse he spoke over her, "Cut the crap Rose, you've been avoiding me for months and I don't even know why."

"I haven't been avoiding you, I've just been busy. This is OWLs year you know, and I've got a lot to cover if I want to get all 12 outstandings." She defensively crossed her arms over her chest.

"I suppose it helps that you already got 5 of those last term?" Rose looked away having been caught out in a lie."Yeah, your dad's been bragging about that special dispension you got to take some of your OWLs fourth year, so try another one Rose."

Rose huffed trying to come up with a defence, anything to get her out this conversation, "Honestly, I don't know what you're on about I've just-" he was suddenly in front of her, grasping her shoulder _again_ "- don't touch me." She bites out and shrugs off his hand, backing away.

"Rose, what did I do? Why won't you look at me?" She can hear the concern in his voice.

She finds it hard to hide her derision, "Who said you did anything? Got a guilty conscience?" 

"Rose-"

She snaps at him - "I suppose if I'd been sleeping with my brother's wife I'd feel guilty too." Rose looks him in the eye after that, and this time he's the one who can't look at her.

"Shit." He turns from her raking his hand through his hair, "I'm not sleeping with your Mum." Hesitantly he turns back to her, finally meeting her eye.

Rose scoffs at that, "I saw you. I saw you in the library at Aunt Ginny's house before term started, you-"

"That was the one and only time." He looks at her intently, "It was a mistake, your Mum and I knew that as soon as we'd..." He shakes his head, steps closer, reaches a hand toward her elbow but she flinches away, "Look, I get that your hurt, disappointed, but what happened between me and your Mum, will never happen again, we fucked up and we're paying for it-"

"How?" She glares at him, "How are you paying for it? Far as I can see your doing alright, hardly seems to be bothering you at all, you've just been going on as usual, laughing an-"

With a frustrated grunt he cuts across her, "What do you expect Rose? Should I go confess to your Dad, destroy his marriage? For what, one stupid moment of weakness that meant nothing to me or her. The best we can do is go on with our lives and try to live with what we did."

Rose gives an empty laugh as she watches him agitatedly rub the back of his neck, finally the dam breaks, weeks of pent up emotion pour from her, "You don't care do you? You don't care that you've betrayed my Dad, destroyed any respect I had for Mum. You've ruined everything, and for what? One stupid moment of weakness?" She spits the words back at him. Now she's mad, she wants him to feel her pain, to hurt like he's hurt her.

"You're pathetic. You're just a lying, deceitful excuse for a man. No wonder you work with beasts - you are one! Must be easy to live life like that, never apologising for anything you do, just acting out like a mindless animal - ah!"

He grasps her biceps and yanks her so close they're practically sharing breath, "Shut up!" She gasps, Rose can't believe that he's grabbed her. "I'm sorry, alright? I made a mistake. I'm not perfect - time to grow up sweetheart, I'm not the hero from one of your storybooks. People mess up, even your precious parents. Maybe when you finally get some experience under your belt you'll realise that."

Rose can't stand it anymore, can't be in the same room as him. She shoves him off, goes to the door and hisses as she yanks it open, "I hate you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are my own.


	4. Weariness

Rose takes herself off the map entirely after Halloween. She avoids the great hall at mealtimes, and even lets herself get taken down by a bludger in front of Madam Hooch, that gets her excused from her next class which just happened to be Care of Magical Creatures.

Before Uncle Charlie's next lesson, she scoffs down a skiving snackbox and makes her way to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfery fusses and with a few flicks of the wand, she decides Rose has been spreading herself too thin, gives her some tea, toast and a sleeping draught, then shoos her into an infirmary bed for some rest.

When Rose wakes up there’s a warm body beside her and it's starting to get dark outside. She hears the bleeping of Hugo's vintage gameboy and assumes it was him that woke her but she can hear talking beyond the curtain, Madam Pomfrey and _his_ deep gentle voice, Rose burrows deeper beneath the covers and continues to feign sleep.

"Hey Hugo."

"Hey Uncle Charlie."

“Why are you on the bed?”

“Oh...when we were little Rosie always lay beside me when I wasn’t feeling well, she’d just tell me stories and uh...stuff, made be feel better...um, don’t tell anyone, ok?” Rose knew what he meant by “stuff”, she would stroke his hair and cuddle him close until he fell sleep or felt better, she’d been doing it since he was born and had a real baby to play house with. No matter how old he got, Hugo still asked for a 'Rosie hug' when he was unwell.

“Secret’s safe.”

“Did Madam Pomfrey say what’s wrong with her?”

“Just overdoing the studying she said...lost some weight, not sleeping well from the look of things.”

“She gets like this about exams, though it’s usually not this bad until about May.” Last year, Rose had fainted after her final exam, Madam Pomfrey had given her a proper talking to about taking care of herself when she came round. “I suppose she’s been a bit worked up about whatever’s going on between you two...do you think you can sort it out?”

“It’s not that simple Hugo.”

“Just talk to her, she doesn’t want to be off with you...Did you know James set her hair on fire once? Yeah, it was sorta an accident, turns out he was jealous Al preferred Rosie over him. Afterwards she didn’t talk to him for nearly a week. When he finally got fed up with the silent treatment and told her why he did it, she let him off the hook just like that. Everything was normal again, she said it wasn’t what he did that bothered her, she just needed to know why.”

She feels Hugo moving, the sudden loss of warmth when he gets off the bed. Rose realises he’s leaving her with Uncle Charlie and wants to call him back. Before he goes he says, “Rosie doesn’t like to quarrel, it upsets her, you know. She just needs to understand, everything I think. When she does, she lets it go, even if she doesn’t like it...Bye Charlie.”

The distant thud of the door, lets her know that Hugo has left the hospital wing. She hears the scrap of a chair on the floor and the rustle of Uncle Charlie's robes as he settles in. He makes a weary sigh, then she can feel the tickle of fingers running through her hair, "You're were right Rose, I fucked everything up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, mistakes are my own. Thanks for the feedback.


	5. Devastation

The chill of winter settled around Hogwarts castle and grounds, and with it came the buzz of excitement for Christmas and the impending Yule ball.

After the hospital wing, Rose resumed classes as normal, even Uncle Charlie's and stopped avoiding meals in the Great Hall. He'd stayed at her bedside stroking her hair - while she'd pretended to sleep - for what seemed like hours not saying anything else. He eventually left when Madam Pomfery came to 'wake' her before curfew with a restorative draught and some firm words about taking better care of herself, after doing a final diagnostic spell she warned Rose that if she didn't see some improvement, she'd be forced to contact her parents and recommend a shortening of her course load. Seeming to pick up on the distress that last statement caused, she softened and reminded Rose there were plenty of people to talk to who cared about her if it all became a bit much, and she expected to see Rose back in two weeks for a checkup and chat.

Rose and Charlie settled into an uneasy truce; while the simple camaraderie of their previous relationship seemed to be gone, Rose no longer evaded his presence, she even contributed to his classes. He hadn't sought her out or tried to talk to her since the hospital wing, and in truth Rose was hurt that he'd stopped. Didn't he want to sort out this mess? Did he miss their previous closeness like she did? At times she ached to spend time with him again, to talk to him about the creatures that fascinated her, to rest her head on his shoulder as he tells her tales of his work with dragons. She was still angry with him, still burned with anguish when she thought of him and her mum together; but she missed him too, as though he were still in Romania thousands of miles away.

...

The last Hogsmeade visit of the term came on a cold bright Saturday in early December. Rose went with her housemates to the quaint village, armed with a list of Christmas gifts to buy and a plan to meet Al and Scorpius in the Three Broomsticks for lunch. What she didn't expect on her arrival at the inn, was to see her Dad, Uncle Charlie and Neville cloistered together in a corner booth chatting over pints of ale. Not seeing her entry, Rose decided against speaking to her Dad at that moment and instead went to the other side of the bar where the boys were waiting for her.

Halfway through lunch, Rose saw Neville leave and an anxious knot started to form in the pit of her stomach. When she was finished, she went to the bar for more butterbeers, spotting the brothers still talking quietly in the corner. After delivering her drinks to Al and Scorpius, Rose excused herself to the bathroom. Slipping an extendable ear from her pocket, she ducked behind a pillar near their table.

“...don’t know what I’m gonna do Charlie. I can’t imagine my life without her; but I don’t see how we can get past this either.” Rose’s heart seized in her chest.

"We all make mistakes Ron...Can you really not see a way back from this?"

"She's asked me to go see a counsellor with her...I don't know...Merlin, all I can think about are the kids. They'll be home soon for Christmas, they'll know something's wrong, especially when they see me sleeping in the spare room...just can't believe this is happening."

"I'm sorry Ron...you need to talk to her...don't give up, I don't think I could walk away, not after 24 years."

"Yeah, that's the thing though - all I've ever wanted is to make her happy, and I thought we were - now I just don't know...were did I go wrong, eh? If she'd go looking elsewhere, she won't even say who it was...suppose it doesn't really matter-"

Rose yanked out the extendable ear heart thudding, Scorpius was waving her over signalling it was time to go. She quickly joined them - before they drew too much attention - gathered her things and left. Once out of the village, she told them to go back to the school without her, she had one more gift to buy and would see them at dinner.

She hurried back towards the Three Broomsticks and caught sight of her Dad outside heading to the apparation point. "Dad!" She called after him.

He smiled when he caught sight of her and waited when he saw her coming toward him. When Rose caught up to her Dad, she threw her arms around him, “Woah, what’s brought this on? Your usually too cool to be seen hugging your old Dad.”

“Nothing," she mumbled into his chest, not letting go, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too darling." He squeezed her tightly, before loosening his hold and leaning back to look at her, disquietly he asked, "Rosie, what's wrong?"

Rose shook her head, she wanted to tell him: that it wasn't his fault, that it was Uncle Charlie and Mum that did it, that she loved him. The words caught in her throat as she looked in his bright blue eyes; how could she? The pain she felt would be nothing compared to his if she told him Mum slept with his brother, that they'd betrayed him...that she'd lied to him by keeping it from him for months.

"I-I...I'm fine...been overdoing the studying a bit. Actually, can't wait for the Christmas break." She tried to project false cheer; he must have bought it because he hugged her close once more and mumbled into her hair.

"You've got to take it easy, honey. Mum and I are so proud of you, we don't care how many OWLs you get, we just want you to be happy." The tears she'd held onto with a thread, slipped down her face.

She mumbled a watery, "Love you, Dad." He let her go, wiped the tears from her cheeks and kissed her forehead, "I love you too, Rosie."

Giving him a weak smile, "I better get back...McGonagall will give us detention if we're late." They said their goodbyes and she watched him until he disapparated.

Rose silently wept on her walk back to Hogwarts. As she reached the gates, she saw Uncle Charlie and hastily scrubbed her face. Unlike her Dad, he didn't ask what was wrong when he saw her stricken expression, instead he pulled her aside and held her close as she sobbed fully.

He whispered apologies in her ear until she finally calmed, and murmured into his neck, "I don't forgive you."

"Please don't say that." He implored.

She gently disengaged from him and scoured him with her teary eyes. "I wish you'd never come back. You should have stayed in Romania."

Rose turned from his distressed face and ran back to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are my own, any feedback is appreciated.


	6. Turmoil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay. I have it clear in my head where this story is going but not entirely how to get there, most of it comes to me out of order.

The days leading up to the Yule Ball were filled with apprehensive excitement. OWL and NEWT class teachers had already given up trying to impart any further knowledge to the pupils this term, instead they opted for revision to maintain the focus of their young charges. The great hall and corridors had become the forum for many unfolding dramas involving the castle's hormonal adolescents, and much to Rose's relief her detachment from the furore was barely noticed by her friends and cousins.

Since her encounter with Uncle Charlie after Hogsmeade, Rose had fallen into a state of quiet misery. She couldn't shake the guilt she felt for her part in deceiving Dad, nor the hollowness that grew as the time to her homecoming approached and she'd see for herself the tattered remains of her family. What tormented her most were her feelings toward Uncle Charlie.

Everytime she sees him, Rose wants to soothe the discordance behind his eyes, tell him she didn't mean what she said, wants to hold him and kiss the lines of tension near his mouth. But when she gets near, she remembers the despair in her Dad's voice, the way he pinned her Mum to the wall, the slap of flesh as their bodies met, and her nails dig into the palm of her hand as she fights the urge to hurl a hex his way.

She was so conflicted, it took Rose most of the 12th to make up her mind about giving him the birthday gift she'd got months before at a muggle car boot sale, she'd gone to with Papa Granger. The moment she saw the antique dagger with its dragon shaped handle and blade like a licking flame, she'd known it would be perfect for him. Later, when she'd shown her find to Uncle Bill, he told her it was wizard made in China, at least 600 years old, forged by dragon fire and imbued with magic - worth far more than the £25 she paid for it.

It was well past curfew, when Rose finally snuck up to the owlery with the wrapped treasure. She managed to coax awake a sleeping barn owl and attach the parcel with a tag that said nothing more than "From Rose". The next morning, a quiet part of her was gratified when she entered the great hall and immediately locked eyes with Uncle Charlie, who smiled and nodded in thanks from the head table. She wants to forgive him, knows she's not being entirely fair; but the insidious voice of insecurity mocks her, whispers that she's only a child to him, that their relationship means nothing, why else would he sleep with her Mum and destroy her family.

Rose is jarred from her turmoil the day before the ball when Sean Wood pulls her aside after quidditch training. She's distracted at first by James' uneasy glancing at her and the rambunctious seventh year from across the corridor, but her attention is brought back to her teammate when she hears him mutter, "Will you go to the ball with me?"

Rose looks up at him in sceptically, "What?"

He looks at her intently with his easy confidence and asks again, "Will you go to the ball with me? That is if your not already goin with someone else."

"No," she blurts, he looks away crestfallen, "I mean, I'm not going with anyone, not really." Rose and her friends had planned to go as a group with only a couple of them meeting dates at the ball.

Wood brightens at that and grasps her hand, "Phew, I thought Malfoy might've beaten me to it but James said not...so do you wanna go with me?"

'Scorpius?!' Rose thinks, they're just friends everyone knows that. He'd had a crush on her once but they'd got past that ages ago. Wood on the other hand, she had no idea what to think of him. He'd always teased her like James and treated her like one of the team when she made chaser but now she had no idea what to think. He shook her hand impatiently waiting for an answer.

"Okay, yeah," she said hesitantly, "I'm meeting some of the others in the common room at 7, we're gonna head down together, I can meet you in the great hall around then?"

His smile is beaming, "Fantastic, great hall 7ish. James and Evanna have a table going with some of the others, we can sit there." He dips his head and gives her a quick peck on the cheek before jogging off to catch up with James.

"Alright." Rose whispers to herself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are my own.


	7. The ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are my own.
> 
> Rose’s outfit https://goo.gl/images/KknVQR

Rose sat on her dorm bed examining her hanging robes. She’d been really excited about the ball when she got them. During the summer, she'd received her school supplies letter with an invitation for those in fifth year and above to bring formal attire for the annual Yule ball. Her mum had insisted they make a day of it - like Nana had with her - so she'd packed Hugo off to Diagon Alley with dad, and they headed to Knightsbridge to shop for a dress.

They popped into a few shops along Brompton Road, Rose tried on some gowns but nothing seemed to work. After lunch in the Victoria and Albert Museum, Mum suggested they try Harvey Nichols. When they reached the first floor, Rose finally found what she'd been looking for. It was a simple two piece prom style with a floor trailing cerise pink skirt that wrapped from the waist and opened to a modest split, coupled with a short pale fuchsia crop top with thick straps that crossed over the back. Mum had thought the top would be a bit daring to Dad since she wouldn't be wearing a bra, but had giggled that she was only young once and it was best to enjoy her perky bosom (much to Rose's eternal embarrassment) while she could. They'd bought some simple silver sandals to go with it and Rose had clutched her bags in quiet anticipation the whole way home.

Now after two hours primping and pampering, Rose couldn't bring herself to put them on. If she was honest with herself, she'd picked them with _him_ in mind. He'd finally come back to Britain, had taken the job at Hogwarts and Rose had wanted him to finally see her as the woman she was becoming - not a child - despite the school setting.

She knew the others were waiting for her, that Sean was probably in the great hall now wondering what was taking the normally punctual Rose so long, so with a weary sigh she gave herself a mental shake and slipped into her clothes for the evening.

...

The great hall had been transformed into a winter wonderland, Rose had audibly gasped when she walked in, after four years at Hogwarts she had never seen it look so resplendent. Sean spotted her when she entered and quickly came to her side. Rose nearly laughed when he sputtered a compliment, turning bright red as he looked at her and guided them over to a table where James and the others were already seated. She tried to resist looking for Uncle Charlie, but couldn't stop her eyes from quickly scanning the room, and felt a stab of disappointment when she couldn't spot him.

After the meal, McGonagall and Professor Longbottom officially started the ball with the first dance. They were soon joined by others, and Sean gallantly invited Rose onto the floor. She giggled when he settled a shaky hand on her hip, Rose took pity and told him she wouldn't break if he touched her. He barked a laugh and said, "I'm more worried about your Uncle Charlie breaking me, if the way he's looking over here is anything to go by."

Rose looked over her shoulder, and just as he'd said, there was Uncle Charlie watching them so intently Rose could practically feel his gaze as a physical touch. He met her eyes briefly - Rose was at a lodd to understand the unfathomable look he gave her - before he walked off into the crowd without looking back. Sean pulled her a bit closer.

She was surprised to find herself having a really good time, Sean was pleasant company and spent the majority of the time making her laugh. They chatted with the others, Rose had a few more dances with him, as well as one with Albus and then Scorpius. It was during her dance with James that Uncle Charlie cut in.

“James, Professor Longbottom wants to speak with you, something about an after party in the room of requirement.” James groaned and Uncle Charlie chuckled as he dashed off. They stood awkwardly for a few seconds the music changing seamlessly to a slower tempo, Rose was about to walk back to her table when Uncle Charlie stepped into her space.

“Think the last time we danced was Teddy and Victorie’s wedding, fancy a twirl?” He gave her a lopsided grin, lifted her arms to his shoulders, then firmly wrapped his hands around her slender waist. Rose felt her stomach lurch at his touch. She'd been thirteen - in the early days of her enthralment with him - when they last danced, and he'd laughingly spun her around the dancefloor so fast she became dizzy and clung to him until the music stopped.

This dance was vastly different. They hardly moved around, merely swayed on the spot, Rose was keenly aware of every point their bodies touched. She couldn't suppress a shiver when his thumb started to stroke the small strip of exposed skin on her back between her skirt and top.

"Thank you. For the dagger by the way...guess I hardly deserve it. Especially from you." Rose could see the strain the last few months had took in his face. He looked older, more handsome and a little less self-assured than she could ever recall.

She choked out, "I bought it before you...I just thought you should have it." She couldn't look at him anymore.

"Rose," he sighed, "what happened...what I did, I've regretted everyday since. I can't undo it."

"I know that...I just don't understand why? Why did you do it?" She stopped moving, and waited expectantly for his answer.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered, she looked at him then, confused. "Rose-"

"Professor Weasley, McGonagall's looking for you." Sean interrupted.

"Thanks Wood," he dropped his hands from her waist and stepped back breaking their contact, "you should take over."

Rose watched him walk away, heart twisting.

"You ok Rose?" Sean asked tentatively. She nodded and gave him a brief smile. "You know, if you've had enough of this formal stuff, I hear there's an after party in the room of requirement." He gave her a cheeky grin as he grasped her hand and led her from the great hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is appreciated.


	8. New sensations

They made it to the entrance hall when Rose recalled that Professor Longbottom already knew about the after party. Sean just winked and reminded her not to underestimate James. He led her through the castle towards the quidditch pitch. It was then Rose realised James had cleverly let the professors hear about a fake party in the room of requirement, all the while setting up the real one elsewhere.

He took them to a room adjacent to the changing rooms that as far as Rose knew was used to store old and broken quidditch equipment. Tapping his wand three times against the ancient oak door, it swung open and Rose could hear the faint sounds of music and laughter from within. Inside the party was in full swing, Rose found that rather than a storage cupboard, the door opened to a chamber around the size of two classrooms with an arched ceiling and some shelves at the very back where ancient quidditch gear languished.

“No prefects allowed!” James ambled over with drink in hand, Rose got a good whiff when he waved it in her general direction - it wasn’t butterbeer. “I’m surprised at you Rosie,” he exclaimed in mock astonishment, “I thought the idea of breaking rules made you break out in hives - corrupting my dear cousin already are we Wood?” He gave Sean a warning look that Rose thought was only half joking if the glint in his eye was anything to go by.

“Shut it Jamie.” Rose punched James’ arm, causing him to laugh and hold up his hands in mock surrender.

“Yeah give me a break Potter, I’ve already had Hugo and Lily give me the royal warning. Al, Louis and Malfoy have threatened me with a terrible accident if I mess her around. And Charlie’s been giving me the evil eye all night - if he wasn’t mates with my dad - I’d think he had it in for me.” Rose looked at Sean carefully, she could see he was trying to play it all off as a bit of a laugh but the droop of his shoulders told her he was a bit miffed by all the distrust. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah well, little Rose here is destined for big things, she’s about to break some serious academic records and none of us want to see her distracted.”

“She’s also perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Remember James?” Rose whipped her wand out and waved it in front of his nose issuing a few red sparks.

James gulped backing up, “Alright, alright...I’m gonna find Evanna, see you later.”

“Woah, I’ve never seen James back down so quick.” Rose smirked. “I think I might have underestimated just how scary you can be.” Sean gave her a cheeky grin when she huffed in indignation.

Rose couldn’t stop herself from grinning back before tugging him further into the party, “Let’s go get some drinks.”

...

  
Hours later the party was starting to wind down, couples began drifting off to quiet corners and most partygoers had gone back to their dormitories. Grasping her sandals in one hand - the cushioning charm since worm off a while ago - Rose signalled to Sean she was heading off. Quickly abandoning his game of snitch snatcher, he took her hand again saying he'd had enough too.

Rose was so tired it took her several moments to realise Sean wasn't leading them to gryffindor tower, "Where are we going?"

"I wanna show you something," he whispered, "it'll just take a second."

He led her down a short hidden corridor on the seventh floor Rose had never ventured to before, at the end there was a staircase ascending to small landing with a window and doorless archway outside. Passing through they entered a small rooftop garden covered in snow; around the perimeter were herbs and plants encased in shimmering enchantments Rose had never seen before - though some she recognised from her reading - at the farthest left corner was a stone basin with a burning blue flame, and against the wall to her right a long table covered with glass and brass instruments, the inky black sky sparkled with stars that reflected off the surface of the frozen pond in the centre, giving the place a dream like quality. The moon looked so big up here, Rose felt like she could reach out and touch it.

"Is this...the alchemy garth?", Rose asked in wonder.

Sean chuckled, "Yeah, I knew you'd like it." She looked up to his face, he was smiling down at her quite self-satisfied, Rose wondered not for the first time what was going on in her team mate's head.

"Sean, why did you ask me to the ball?" She asked tentatively.

"You know for someone so smart, you can be really dense." Rose sighed in annoyance and tried to yank her hand from his but he wouldn't let go. "I fancy you Rose, have done for ages." He says sincerely.

Rose doesn't know what to say, "But...but before you've always just treated me like a mate."

Sean shuffles his feet sheepishly, "Yeah, well, thought I missed my chance with Malfoy sniffing about-"

"We're just friends! Honestly, yo-"

He starts to chuckle, "This is what I mean, you know a lot of stuff but you have no clue when it comes to blokes." He stops laughing and looks at her face soberly, watching her reaction,"Malfoy still fancies you, he just got better at hiding it. Ask Al if you don't believe me."

Rose looks at him uncertainly. She's never felt that way about Scorpius, hadn't ever considered it. Couldn't even do so now.

Sean sighs, "I knew this was my last shot, figured I should go for it it, even if you did hex me for trying."

"I wouldn't hex you." He smiles brightly at that.

"Good to know. I wasn't so sure before, your quite intimidating you know." He squeezes her hand still gripped in his.

"I am."

"Rose, your the smartest person I know, wicked on a broom," he pushes a loose curl behind her ear, "gorgeous, everyone can see your something special." He leans in close.

"I'm not special." She whispers.

"Your amazing." He dives in, pressing his lips to hers. Rose is a little startled, she's never kissed anyone before - not like this. His lips are a little cold and dry but soft and careful against hers. Rose drops her sandals in the snow covered grass when he lets go of her hand and wraps his arms around her back. She forgets all about the garden and the stars as she tiptoes into his embrace, hands resting on his waist.

They break apart, when he feels a strong shiver up her spine. Looking to the ground beneath them, they both giggle when they see Rose's bare feet in the snow. Sean lifts her from the ground and carries Rose back through the archway resting her against the sill of the window atop the stairs. He rubs the goosebumps from her arms before resuming their snog with renewed vigour.

Rose immerses herself in the sensations, enjoying the brush of his lips against hers. He drops his palms to her waist, as she brings hers to the back of his neck, fingers grazing the short hair at the nape. For several minutes, the air is filled with the sounds of their heavy petting, Sean clutches her closer and Rose can only hum softly as he becomes bolder hands skimming her body. They're so distracted, neither of them hear the heavy tread of footsteps on the stairs; the sudden flare of wandlight startles them apart.

"Time to get back to your dormitory Wood."

Rose feels like she's dropped into a vat of ice when Sean steps back and her feet touch the cold stone floor. Uncle Charlie just looks at her, his eyes seeming to notice everything from her bare feet to her rumpled clothes and mussed up hair.

Sean finds his voice first, he nervously clears his throat, "We're, uh, just heading there." Uncle Charlie nods and marches past them through the archway to the garden. Sean grasps her hand, but Rose immediately drops it.

"You go ahead," she mumbles, "I need to grab my shoes and...talk to him." He gives her a strange look, peeking over her shoulder toward the garden, then shrugs and dashes off down the stairs.

Rose takes a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. She quickly scoops up her sandals and slips them on, then follows his footprints to the stone basin where he stands staring into the blue flame.

"Go to bed Rose." He doesn't even turn, just keeps his back to her, head down.

"It's not what you think." Her voice sounds strangled even to her own ears and Rose fights to keep tears at bay.

Still facing away from her, he mumbles, "Doesn't matter what I think. Go to bed."

Breathlessly, she goes on, "But you need to let me explain...we were just kissing...we didn't...I didn't let him-"

"You don't need to tell me anything." He cuts her off, Uncle Charlie finally turns and looks at her, "You can do what you want Rose, your young, you supposed to-" he glances around the alchemy garth, "Experiment...with people your age, it's natural." He looks at her intently, "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Rose doesn't know why his words matter to her in that moment - especially with what he's done lately - but she's grateful for them nonetheless and throws her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. At first he stands there stiffly but eventually he wraps her in his arms and burrows his nose in her hair. They stay that way for a few moments, then Rose leans back and looks into his warm brown eyes. His gaze darts to her mouth when she self-consciously bites her lip and for a mad second she thinks he's going to kiss her. Instead, Uncle Charlie dips his head to her ear and whispers, "Go to bed now Rose", and let's her go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are my own. Feedback is appreciated.


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